An Alternate Start and a Lot of Shared Palettes
by finaltrinity5
Summary: Souma and Erina meet each other earlier than expected. A lot earlier. How does growing up together change them both by the time Souma enrolls at Totsuki Culinary Academy?


Inspired by Envoy of the White Moon's "Souma and Erina."

Something I had on my Google Drive for a while. Might continue, might just keep plugging away at my RWBY stories. But either way, hope you enjoy!

* * *

The first time they meet is actually a blur to them. Both of their guardians - his parents and her grandfather - arranged a meeting, a sort of catching up between friends long ago.

Of course, as both parties had very young children to take care of, the only solution was for Senzaemon to bring his young granddaughter to the house of Joichiro previously Saiba/now Yukihira.

While the adults welcomed each other and said their greetings with utter sincerity and kindness, the same could not be said about the two children.

Ushered into a different room than the adults while they cooked, Yukihira Souma's initial introduction to Nakiri Erina was snubbed - completely, totally, and without any warning. With an upturned nose and folded arms, she turned away from the young boy, demonstrating her already impressive vocabulary with her rebuttal.

"Hmph, as if the child of commoner has any right to speak to _me_ in such a fashion."

And while most of those words went over Souma's head, he could read body language well enough to the know that the girl with the blonde hair (he wouldn't say pretty, because girls still had cooties) was making fun of him in some way. And his father always told him that as a man, he should never back down from a challenge and always prove your own worth.

Granted, after saying that, his father was always hit in the back of the head by his mother with a frying pan that appeared out of nowhere. However, that is beside the point.

So the instinct of a child being what it was, Souma immediately engaged in a battle of words with his new adversary.

"Oh yeah? Well I think your hair is ugly!"

But let's be real here. Since when has Souma ever demonstrated any tact at all?

 _*smack* "ITAI!"_

From the kitchen, Joichiro's wife stifled a laugh while Senzaemon and Joichiro just gave each other knowing looks, cutting vegetables and beating eggs respectively.

"I give it 15 years." - Senzaemon.

"I give it 20." - Joichiro.

"I give it 12." - Joichiro's wife.

Then they each threw 5000 yen into a jar, each vowing to throw in another 5000 each year until the bet's desired outcome was achieved.

* * *

They all sat at the dinner table, Joichiro at the head, flanked by his wife and Souma and opposite Senzaemon. Alice was sitting next to Souma, albeit unhappily.

Souma was sporting a red mark on his cheek and his eyes were bloodshot, as if he was crying earlier.

Of course, he wasn't crying. It was the food ninjas that just started peeling onions in the same room as him.

Neither of the two children said a word to each other as they waited for the adults to finishing serving the food.

Noticing the cool silence as well as the results of an altercation, Joichiro smiled cunningly and leant closer to his son.

"Hey, Souma? Cheer up. It's not everyday you get to meet a pretty girl like Erina here."

Having heard and understood the praise, Erina blushed. However, it was still above her to accept the complements of a plebeian who only how to run a diner in the middle of small town.

Next to her, however, Souma just sunk into his seat even more. If one listened closely, they would hear him mutter under his breath.

"...S'not that pretty..."

Souma snuck a quick glance at the girl next to him and decided to change the subject.

"Oi, Tou-san. Can we eat now? I'm hungry."

Next to him, Joichiro's wife laughed - a beautiful sound by all who heard it - and began doling out food to the two younger ones, making especially sure that Erina got a larger portion, both as a guest and as a growing young girl.

Frowning, Erina slowly grabbed her chopsticks before looking at her grandfather, who was digging into the food with gusto. Deciding it couldn't be that bad, she decided to try a bite.

And was immediately taken to the most golden field of barley under the clearest sky, sun almost nearly set and washing everything with a yellow glow.

She nearly dropped her chopsticks in awe as she was whisked away, her senses experiencing the most pleasurable stimulations they'd ever had in her short life.

While she seemed to be gone for hours, it was really only a few seconds before she came back down, only to notice Souma smirking at her, before digging into his own meal at an alarmingly and uncultured rate.

Next to her, Senzaemon spoke up.

"Well, Erina-chan? Do you like it? It was made by Joichiro over there with just a little help from yours truly."

Her only response was to attack her food almost as fast as Souma was, savoring every bite of it.

At the end of the meal, Senzaemon patted his chiseled stomach.

"Well, I can tell Erina-chan liked the meal. What about you, Souma-kun? What can you say about your father's cooking?"

Souma just smiled cockily and began to brag like only a little kid could.

"My tou-san makes the best food, hands down! It's way better than anything a stuffed shirt who makes lower quality food than the clothes he's wearing could make!" Turning to Erina, he began again.

"And one day, I'mma inherit this restaurant from 'em! The _Yukihira's_ gonna be all mine, I'll show ya!"

Joichiro began to chuckle gently.

"Ah, you say that now Souma, but I haven't even let you hold a knife yet." He pat Souma on the head, who began to pout in his chair.

Erina began to laugh at Souma's childlike behavior, which in turn annoyed Souma. Mistaking an expression of contentment for another challenge, he kicked his chair away from him and stood as tall as he could, pushing his chest out for major effect.

"I'll show ya! I'll make a dish for you right now with the best chopped vegetables you've ever seen. All that time watching you cook, I bet I can wield a knife better than you can, Tou-san!"

Joichiro, ignoring all common child care rules, encouraged his son to use a sharp, pointy object that was dangerous in the hand of a child.

"Well, then go on to the kitchen, Souma. There should still be some fresh ingredients in the fridge!"

Souma quietly excused himself from the table so his mother wouldn't hit him, and ran to the kitchen to begin to cook his first real meal.

Eyes following his son as he ran from the room, Joichiro turned to Erina who looked slightly worried for the well-being of the kid. Even if he was a dumb commoner, knives were still a dangerous thing that people shouldn't play with.

"I have full confidence in my son that he won't cut himself with that knife. However, he _is_ going to try to use seasonings like I do. Can you go read the labels for him?"

Erina looked startled at the kind man's request and slowly turned to her grandfather, who nodded with a smile.

Excusing herself as well as paying compliments to Joichiro's cooking, she eagerly ran/walked to the kitchen where Souma was opening and slamming cupboards to find what he was looking for.

* * *

The prepared dish would turn out to be middling, but considering that Souma was still very young, it was more encouraging than depressing to the two youngsters.

Let it be known that the first time Yukihira Souma held a knife was when he was three years old.

However, as time would go on, the part of the story that explained _why_ would eventually fade from both of their memories.

Yukihira Souma picked up a knife to make food for Nakiri Erina. And Nakiri Erina would be there to help him out, as well as chide him for his behavior.

And as Joichiro looked at the two children exhibiting major passive aggressive tendencies, he couldn't help but smile and hug his wife.

Maybe Souma _would_ eventually take over for him as the owner of Yukihira.

* * *

The next time they meet is two years later.

Not having fully forgotten, Souma recognizes the girl with the long blonde hair as a limo pulls up to the front of the new location for the _Yukihira_ restaurant.

Dressed in some of the finest clothes, it almost takes his breath away when he sees her walk up to the counter and greet Joichiro.

Almost. Girls still have cooties, remember?

And then she turns to him, and gives him a look like _'Oh. It's you again.'_ and walks on over to where he is behind the counter.

Out of the corner of his eye, he can see her grandfather greet his dad and his wife before taking a seat at the counter.

"Well, if it isn't "Bakahira." Still putting nutmeg where you mean to put pepper?"

"And if it isn't "Dog's tongue Erina." Still haven't had a dish that beats a commoner's cooking?"

They both glared at each other, which then turned into an impromptu staring contest. When steam from the other end of the kitchen got into Souma's face, he had no choice but to blink.

Erina cheered and smiled viciously while Souma rubbed his face and tried to make excuses.

"NO-no you cheated! There's no way I could lose to someone like you!" Erina's smile just got wider, if that was even possible.

"Well, you just did. Now as a prize I demand one marble soda!"

Souma folded his arms and scowled for some time before relenting and leaving to get a pair of marble sodas.

Returning to the counter, he used the opener and slammed the marble down into the bottle to open the drink before handing it Erina. Doing the same for himself, he hopped the counter and sat down next to Erina. Gulping at the proximity, Erina shyly held out her bottle to Souma.

Souma, not understanding why, just stared at the bottle that was offered to him.

"No, I"ve got my own drink so you drink that."

Erina's faced turned red and she turned to yell at Souma.

"No, you Baka! As celebration for my victory I give you permission to toast to the longevity of the Nakiri line!"

Souma, still only being five, didn't understand pretty much any of those words she just said besides 'permission' and 'toast.' Still, he clinked the bottom of his bottle together with Erina before they both moved to guzzle down the fizzy drink.

When they were finished, a more pleasant conversation continued.

"So, how have you been the past two years? Has your cooking gotten any better? Or good at all?" Erina began, and finished with smirk. Souma just smiled back.

"Hah, wouldn't you like to know? Now that I can read, I've got a whole stack of recipes I've been waiting to try! Also, I know my spices now! So you can't trick me into putting in turmeric instead of paprika!"

"As I seem to recall that was you who mixed up the two spices of completely different color."

Souma's face turned red and he faced the other way.

"Either way, I've gotten a lot better! So there!" Her next words made him freeze.

"So, I don't suppose you would cook for me and try to prove me wrong?"

He looked back, fully expecting her to have a teasing look on his face. Instead, he was treated to the most gentle of smiles from the other five year old. In fact, her smile reminded him of his mother. Gentle and bright.

So he nodded and hopped down from his seat at the high stool and began to walk around behind the counter again.

"Well to be honest, I still don't have the knowledge to make any high-end dishes that you might be used to. But I know the Yukihira secret menu back to front! So prepare yourself!"

While it wasn't an experience like the first time she had eaten Joichiro's food, there was already a startling improvement. His cooking was able to make her smile, after all.

* * *

They meet again 6 months later. This time, they're both dressed in kimono, on the outside of a party hosted by a mutual acquaintance of both Senzaemon and Joichiro.

Souma's lying down on a tree branch while trying to help pull Erina up the tree as well.

Succeeding with a little effort, he lies down on his back while she leans against the trunk.

And as usual, all they can do is snub each other about food related topics.

"No, that's the French style of doing it. You'd have to be crazy to think that the Dutch invented that method."

"But pay attention to the history for once! If it was truly the French, then they wouldn't be..."

And so on and so forth.

Their arguments took so long to the point where at some point the sun had set and the night stars appeared.

At some point their incessant squabbling ceased, and they took the time to be in silence in each other's company, just looking at the stars.

"That one's Ushikai. And next to it, that's Mizugame." He pointed.

"Wow~ stars look so pretty." Erina stared in wonder, finding it hard to believe that something so far away could be so beautiful.

They spent a few more minutes in silence before Souma rustled in his Kimono for something.

"Ah, I almost forgot!" Pulling out a small box, he presented it to Erina. "Mom told me that your birthday was coming up, and that girls love getting presents on their birthday. But you have to be somewhere to taste test around that time so... Happy Early Birthday, I guess..." He trailed off, not knowing how his first unofficial friend would handle his present.

Erina was speechless as she uncovered the wrapping to reveal two items.

The first was a small headband with a beautiful design on in.

The second was small cloth wristband with the characters for "YUKIHIRA'S" on it.

"See the headband is to hold back your long hair when you cook, so it doesn't spoil the food by getting into it. Also to protect your hair, but you know... The other band was something that I thought of myself. You know how I always wear one when I cook, right? Well now, we can match. Plus, it would be free advertising for the restaurant. Gotta start early for when I take it over, right?" Souma rambled, not really wanting to look at Erina's face for fear of rejection.

When he didn't hear any response at all, he looked over at Erina, worried.

Only to see her stifling some sobs.

Immediately feeling guilty about how bad his present was, he reached over to take it back.

"Man, I'm sorry Erina. I should have known better than to get you ugly things."

He didn't expect for her to slap his hand away.

He also didn't expect for her to throw her arms around his neck and cry into his shoulder.

" _Thankyouthankyouthankyousomuch!_ _I love it and I'm never going to throw them away!"_

Letting his worries dissipate, he returned the hug and let her cry into his shoulder some more, before gently pushing her away and grabbing her arm to slip the wristband onto it.

Smiling as he did so, she proceeded to re-cover the part of the package with the headband. Noticing Souma's questioning look, Erina just smiled again.

"I'm not going to wear this just yet. The first time you'll see it on me will be the first time you get to see me cook for real."

He could only smile at her near-infectious happiness. Extending his hand, he held out a pinky.

"Is that a promise?"

She could only giggle in response before reaching out to meet him halfway.

"Definitely."

* * *

The next time they meet, however, is not such a happy occasion.

Over the years, Joichiro's wife grew gradually worse in her condition, until a few months ago she was confined to a bed in a hospital.

Erina was made aware of this from a frantic house call from the Yukihira residence at 11 o'clock at night, with Souma calling in place of Joichiro, who was currently rushing to the hospital, leaving Souma alone to notify the Nakiri family.

On the phone, she could hear Souma struggling to keep himself from crying. He had known about his mom's ailing condition but he never let it get to him, believing that everything would be okay in the end. It took hospitalization to face the fact that his mom might not recover.

And she wouldn't.

On July 14th, Souma's mother passed away in a hospital bed, with her husband and son each holding one of her hands, both struggling not to openly sob in a public hospital.

On July 17th, Erina would attend the funeral, immediately moving next to Souma and grasping his hand with her own.

Her presence there released the floodgates, and he quietly let loose a torrent of sobs while holding on to Erina's hand in a near-vice grip.

When the ceremony was over, and it was time for them all to return home, Senzaemon took it upon himself to help Joichiro get to bed, before retiring in the guest room.

He didn't have to worry about Erina though.

She was lying down in bed next to a still-crying Souma, singing lullabies that her own mother used to sing before she also passed away.

And even though it helped somewhat, no one slept comfortably in the Yukihira residence that night.

They were both 8.

* * *

Keeping in touch with many phone calls and letters, it was almost another year before they would see each other again.

On the anniversary of his mother's death, Souma had almost returned to his former self, albeit a bit more subdued.

In front of the store sweeping so as to keep his mind and body occupied, he was startled to see a blonde girl on the opposite end of the street walking towards him.

It took a few moments for him to realize it was Erina.

Nearly dropping his broom in surprise, he found it hard to piece together a coherent question.

"I- but- ah- how?"

Erina just walked closer to him, sorrow and worry written all over her face.

"I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay... this day being what it is, after all."

At her statement, Souma's eyes widened before he pulled his headband down to shadow them.

"Th... Thank you, Erina."

He walked forward and embraced her tightly, not letting the tears spill because - dammit - there had been enough shed already.

They stayed like that in the middle of the dark, empty street for quite a while, before Souma disengaged and began to lead Erina into the restaurant.

Gesturing for her to take a seat, he went into the back room and retrieved two items - a box and a book.

Sitting down next to her, Souma gave her the box without a word.

As she opened it, the contents inside were revealed to be a beautiful necklace. Erina, both startled and confused, turned her bright red and questioning face toward Souma, who was looking forward with a blank expression on his face.

"Before she passed away, Mom told me to give that necklace to a girl that truly understood me. I didn't really need to think about it a whole lot. You're my best friend, after all. I'm sorry I couldn't find the time to drop by and give this to you... I just didn't want to have to go through this unprepared.

Erina's hands shook as she held one of the last important possessions of Souma's mother that existed. Not knowing whether to be happy due to someone finding her important for more than her godly taste buds, or sad as she shared her best friend's hurt, she was rendered speechless as Souma took the necklace from her.

"...Do you mind if I put it on you?" Souma's voice was almost a whisper, but it was akin to a waterfall in her ears.

Wordlessly, she turned around and moved her long blonde hair to the side to make it easier for Souma, who slipped it around and hooked it with ease.

It was a perfect fit.

Turning back to Souma, she grasped the necklace with one hand and his hand with the other, squeezing as if in reassurance that she was still there.

Souma squeezed back, once again shadowing his eyes to prevent visible tears from leaking.

"But that's not all. She also left me this cookbook, full of recipes that she and Dad worked on together. I was wondering... if you would like to help me try a few?"

Erina couldn't stand up fast enough. Another chance to work with Souma in the kitchen? As well as a chance to help him find closure with some of his mother's recipes?

She damn near ran to the kitchen and almost left Souma behind.

They would work well into the rest of the night and a little into the following morning.

* * *

Joichiro would later discover the two of the asleep in the kitchen, with Souma on the floor leaning against a wall and Erina asleep and leaning on his shoulder.


End file.
